Fraudulent Conversion is an invasion of the sovereignty of our nation by the imperial Western colonialists. It is unfortunately, mostly trapping the unknowing and ignorant, poverty-stricken, tribal communities, while the majority community remains dispassionate about the slow erosion of the Indic society, caused by the harvestors of souls.

Fraudulent Conversion happens because there is a overt or covert backing of the secular (read anti Hindu) leadership of the country, starting from the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi.

Suhag A. Shukla.

“Conversion, murder and India’s Supreme Court” by Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies at College of the Holy Cross, was featured on Washington Post’s On Faith a few days ago. I take this opportunity to respond to two questions he posed, namely, “Is conversion wrong?” and “Is anger over conversion an extenuating circumstance for murder?”

I’ll respond to the second question first, as the answer is simple. No — anger over conversion is not an extenuating circumstance for murder. Violence of the kind inflicted on Graham Staines and his two young sons is wholly unacceptable, and against teachings of the Hindu religion, India’s legacy of peaceful intra and inter-religious coexistence, and the law. Many, including the Hindu American Foundation, though, see the specific comments by the Indian Supreme Court now modified, not as a basis for justifying extenuating circumstances, but rather an expression of the growing concern over foreign missionaries and their impact on India’s hallmark pluralistic ethos. This takes us back to the first question: “Is conversion wrong?”

The answer, as one might expect, is complicated. Professor Schmalz states that many Indian Protestant and Catholic denominations “eschew overt conversion efforts,” but the reason he cites as to why — that of “political repercussions” — short-changes the overriding influence Hinduism’s pluralistic worldview has had not only on Christianity, but other religions in India. India has long been a beacon of religious pluralism. The sage Hindu observation — Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti (The Truth is one, the wise call It by many names) — has fostered an environment in which an unprecedented diversity of traditions and religions have, for the large part, peacefully co-existed for millennia. Like America, India’s shores accepted and sheltered the religiously persecuted — from Jews arriving 2500 years ago, to early Christians bringing the message of Christ, not to Hindus, but to their brethren, the Cochin Jews. Later came the Parsis from Iran. Others came not to escape but on their own free will — Arab Muslims to trade, and others from far away lands seeking India’s spirituality. Each one of these newcomers sought to live and let live, mixing in, as the legend goes, like sugar in milk.

But since the 12th century, starting with the Islamic invasions and colonizing European missionaries to today, India faces a different kind of religious visitor — one that seeks not to sweeten the milk, but curdle it.

Exhibit A — the evangelical Joshua Project — is just one example of what India, at the heart of the 10-40 Window, is facing. The Joshua Project is an information powerhouse — detailing logistical information about people groups around the world, and providing ideas to Evangelicals committed to mass church-planting, and in turn conversions, among every ethnic group. The data is meticulous and well-researched, and both shocking and disturbing.

The Joshua Project lists the percentage of unreached in India as 93.3% — that’s basically every Indian Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist. Last-name, clan, caste, or tribe-based communities are catalogued according to location, religious affiliation, language, and population — the data collection puts the postal systems of most developed nations to shame. Technical acronyms such as CPI, or Church Planting Indicator, with a ranking system of 0 to 5, measure the progress of church growth based on churches established and number of “believers” regularly attending. Then there’s the progress scale which allows the “Saved” to track, well … “progress” of the “Harvest” — red indicating less than 2% Evangelical and less than 5% Christian, yellow indicating less than 2% Evangelical but greater than 5% Christian, and green indicating from 2% to greater than 5% Evangelical. And of course, what worldwide project of this scale and in this century would be complete without an iPhone App?

The response by a few states in India to campaigns inspired by projects like Joshua, and what can be characterized as nothing less than primarily American and European faith-based ops intended to alter Indian religious demographics, has been what most outside of India refer to as “anti-conversion” laws. Interestingly, many of these same states, as well as Indian states with rising inter-religious tension, when cross-checked with the Joshua Project’s “progress” scale, are states that show increasing green and yellow. Some may ask, what’s the big deal? Doesn’t the 2001 Indian census indicate only 2.3% of the population as Christian? Yes, but these percentages have come under question given the fact that a large number of converts retain their Hindu names and claim Hindu status for a variety of reasons. The data from Joshua Project, which doesn’t account for non-Evangelical efforts, also suggests rapid growth.

Contrary to what “anti-conversion” laws may imply by their title, they do not outlaw the right of any individual to convert based upon genuine faith, belief, study, or religious experience. They also don’t restrict Christians who provide social services in various parts of India with no ulterior conversion motive. Most anti-conversion laws seek only to address conversions “by force, allurement, or fraudulent means.” They are the effort of sovereign states to regulate those, mostly Christian aid groups, for which the provision of aid to these vulnerable communities is not altruistic, but rather part of a soul-saving numbers game. While such motives have proven difficult to document, media reports following the 2004 Asian Tsunami revealed incidents where missionaries actually packed up and left when the residents of some tsunami-shattered villages in India refused to convert as a precondition for receiving material aid.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and other human rights groups have long decried these laws against fraudulent conversion that have emerged throughout the 10-40 Window, or as is more affectionately referred to by some missionaries, “The Resistance Belt.” Human rights violation or denial of religious freedom are the frequently recited mantras in these “watch-dog” circles. But as adherents and advocates of a non-proselytizing, non-exclusivist, pluralistic tradition, we at the Hindu American Foundation have always asked — the religious freedom of whom? The freedom of foreign missionaries to proselytize and prey upon vulnerable, generally poor people to convert them to a myopic religious worldview that denigrates or denies the legitimacy of all other traditions, or that of adherents of mostly non-exclusivist and pluralistic traditions, to be treated medically, educated, or employed without having to sell their souls?

Religious freedom, according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, incorporates, “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” This concept of religious freedom has unfortunately failed to address, at the expense of adherents of pluralist and non-exclusivist religious traditions such as Hinduism and other Dharmic traditions, the right to retain one’s tradition and to be free from intrusion, harassment, intimidation, and aggressive, exploitative, and predatory proselytization by non-pluralist and exclusivist religions.

The world community has for too long turned a blind eye to aggressive and predatory proselytization and resulting conversions that have been carried out for centuries in Asia, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East and Europe. This collective complacency is counter-productive to peace and has bred a resurgence in international campaigns which harass, intimidate, and exploit the most vulnerable segments of society by, among other ethically questionable methods, conditioning humanitarian aid or economic, educational, medical or social assistance upon conversion; overtly denigrating other religions to seek converts; and intentionally promoting religious hatred, bigotry (hate speech), and violence. Conversions gained through such means must be recognized for what they are — unethical, fraudulent, forced, coerced, or provoked.

Professor Schmalz says that the concerns about conversion are unfounded. But we need only look to the annual statistics of just one missionary organization and recognize that there is a multiplicative effect.

Exhibit B — Houston-based Central India Christian Mission. In 2010 alone, its evangelical missionaries proselytized to over 320,000 people and converted more than 19,600 inhabitants — that’s enough people to fill a basketball arena — in central India. This is only one of countless U.S. based Christian organizations engaged in aggressive and predatory “soul harvesting” campaigns. Consider the plethora of Catholic and Protestant organizations that are actively pursuing the monopolistic path of religious exclusivity, and the numbers, and more importantly, the impact, are beyond mind-blowing.

Exhibit C — eye-opening information from India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act which collects data on incoming foreign aid. In 2007, the top two non-governmental donors to India were U.S.-based missionary organizations, World Vision International at ~$155 million and Gospel for Asia ~$99.5 million — together that’s $255 million into India in just one year. Overall, an astonishing 18,996 organizations in India, a disproportionate number linked to Christian missionaries, received donations totaling $2.4 billion in 2007 alone. And the inflow has been growing rapidly. 2007 showed contributions more than double of 2002. With these numbers, how can we say the concerns are unfounded?

At the end of the day, numbers and statistics, though illustrative, fail to address the very real human factor on the losing side of the proselytization and conversion equation. Conversion, when born from genuine faith, belief, study, or religious experience, can be beautiful. But, conversion begot by aggressive or predatory proselytization is a form of violence. As one of the co-founders of HAF, Aseem Shukla, eloquently stated, “The violence of conversion is very real. The religious conversion is too often a conversion to intolerance. A convert is asked to repudiate his sangha (community), reject the customs and traditions of his family passed down for generations, and refuse to attend religious ceremonies that are the very basis of daily life in much of the world. A person’s conversion begins a cascade of upheaval that tears apart families, communities and societies creating a political and demographic tinderbox that too often explodes.”

Another predictable outcome of ‘all religions are the same’ theory, another “objective reporting” by pseudosecular media, another suspected brutality of secular policing happening in the so-called land of secular India – the land of the selectively silent media, the selectively mumb human right activists, selectively blind leaders and opportunist politicians and off course the gullible, ignorant Hindus.

Protests raged in Jammu city on Friday over the custodial death of a local youth in Srinagar. A senior police officer was thrashed by the mob. The protestors surrounded a police bus in which around 40 jail inmates were being taken to court. Among those roughed up was an assistant commissioner of police.

What triggered the protests was the death of Rajneesh Sharma, a Jammu youth, in Srinagar. Rajneesh had married Amina Yusuf, a Kashmiri girl. She embraced Hinduism and changed her name to Aanchal Sharma.

This triggered protests in the Kashmir Valley and the police picked up Rajneesh for questioning. He died in custody. While the police claimed that Rajneesh committed suicide in prison, his family members alleged he was beaten to death for daring to marry a Kashmiri Muslim girl.

RAJNEESH SHARMA of Jammu and Ameena of Srinagar fell in love in the paradise on earth. They did not realise that the heaven would turn into hell for them if they stood firm in their resolve to wed.

Their love affair and courtship lasted for more than five years and the families of both the boy and the girl knew what was in the offing. So far so good. Both the man and the woman were adultsand in the eye of law were competent to make a decision on a subject that affected their lives. They chose to get married.

One may wonder how they met and how did the love last for almost half a decade in the not so friendly environment of the Kashmir valley. Well, Rajneesh used to go to the Kashmir valley year after year on the holy pilgrimage to the cave of Lord Amarnath. That is where he met Ameena and they fell in love.

When the 25 year old, educated Ameena disclosed her desire to convert to the Hindu Dharma and marry her beau, hell broke loose in the Muslim society and opposition to the wedding became an Islamic issue. The girl eloped to Jammu.

Rajneesh and Ameena went to the Arya Samaj, Jammu and declared their intention to tie the knot. On conversion to the Vedic Dharma, Ameena became Aanchal and along with Rajneesh performed the havan, walked seven steps together in Saptpadi and took the vow to be together in life and death as husband and wife. Rajneesh’s father and the entire Sharma family along with friends, relatives and neighbourhood celebrated the Vedic wedding with feast, fun and frolic that it merited.

Back in Srinagar, Ameena’s father lodged an FIR with the Kashmir police that his minor daughter had been kidnapped by Rajneesh and forced to marry him. The complaint was against facts of the case. However, the communal overtones swayed the course of action and the Srinagar police went to Jammu and arrested Rajneesh.

They brought him to Srinagar, tortured him endlessly for days and beat him black and blue for no fault of his. The bride, Ameena, in Jammu supported her husband through thick and thin but it did not cut ice with the pre-conceived notions of authorities in Srinagar. Ameena’s brother turned out to be the villain of the piece, till Rajneesh died of wounds inflicted on him. Here was a case of custodial death.

When Rajneesh’s dead body was brought to Jammu, the news of his torture and custodial death spread like wild fire. Jammu city was on fire. The anger of the people burst out and the crowd thrashed senior administrative and police officers for the out and out partisan attitude of the administration. Now the people’s demand is: Order a CBI enquiry into the circumstances leading to the custodial death. The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a magisterial probe but, everyone considers it an eyewash.

Surprisingly, the government leaders have not yet faced the people with a word of solace to comfort the grieving family. Neither the chief minister, leaders of opposition and others in the Kashmir valley have stepped forward. The story is different in Jammu, where the issue may assume political overtones. The communal divide is complete and secularism has been shredded by leaders, who profess it in public, but not in private.

The need of the hour is to take an impartial course of action and allow a central agency to investigate so that the guilty are brought to book. The law of the land should be allowed to take its own course.

Thanks to the successful and continuous denigration of the Hindu majorities by the Indian media, the Congress lead minority-appeasing political clan and the so called secular and elite intelligentsia, USCIRF, a dubious group of vested Christian interest, camouflaged as some superior certifying body from the USA, has the audacity to blacklist India and equate her with a bunch of other rogue states, like Somalia and Afghanistan.

These are examples of International forces that want to disintegrate India by attacking and dominating the Hindus, her majority population.

They are not happy enough that India is ruled by a Catholic lady, by proxy. They are not satisfied enough that the missionaries are converting poor tribal Hindus by hook or by crook including even at gunpoint.They are not contented enough that India topped the list of countries worst affected by Islamic terrorism (according to a U.S. State Department report), thanks to the USA’s continuous support of Pakistan and indirectly its terror mechanisms. They are only concerned about the rights of the ‘selected’ minorities. It is not their concern that Hindu-minorities, who have been killed and driven out of Muslim- majority Kashmir, deserve the same protection of their religious right.

Knowing the Congress government’s anti-Hindu track record and pro USA stand, one may not be surprised if the the Central government accede to such baseless accusations.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has placed India on its “Watch List” for New Delhi’s largely inadequate response in protecting its religious minorities.

In a statement, USCIRF said India earned the “Watch List” designation due to the “disturbing increase” in communal violence against religious minorities — specifically Christians in Orissa in 2008 and Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 –- and the largely inadequate response from the Indian government to protect the rights of religious minorities.

“It is extremely disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege,” said Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair.

USCIRF’s India chapter was released this week to mark the first anniversary of the start of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa.

Any country that is designated on the USCIRF “Watch List” requires “close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the government.”

Other countries currently on the Commission’s Watch List are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela. USCIRF, which released its annual report early this year had delayed the publication of its India Chapter due to the general elections.

This week, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its “watch list.” By this designation, India, the largest multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy joins a motley cabal comprised of the likes of Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Somalia and Venezuela. Countries like Bangladesh, that so recently forced the exodus of thousands of Hindus under an Islamist government, enjoy higher status with the Commission than India. How is this possible?

The watch list defines those countries that the USCIRF believes are in danger of being listed among the worst offenders of religious freedom. The government of India reacted predictably to this rather dubious distinction, “regretted” the action, said India guaranteed freedom of religion and aberrations are dealt “within our legal framework, under the watchful eye of an independent judiciary and a vigilant media.”

A closer look at the India designation, however, shows the Commission’s innate bias, lack of insight, absence of understanding, and loss of credibility. Worse, putting India on the watch list will be perceived as a self-defeating and egregious act that needlessly complicates relations between two diverse, pluralistic and secular democracies.

Created by Congress in 1998, the Commission can only advise the State Department, which has its own list of countries of concern and amiably ignores the Commission’s recommendations. But the Commission’s pronouncements still carry the symbolism of an official government entity judging the fitness of another’s country’s human rights record.

There is power in symbolism, and the attention credible human rights groups bring to a cause gives succor to the oppressed and isolate the oppressor . But therein lies the rub– credibility–and the USCIRF, in its composition, methodology and ideology, is running low on gas.

Let’s begin with the India chapter in the USCIRF report itself. In its 11 pages, the document details three specific episodes to justify slamming India: Riots between Hindus and Muslims in the state of Gujarat that broke out after a Muslim mob torched a train full of Hindu pilgrims killing 58 in 2002; riots between Hindus and Christians that left 40 dead in the state of Orissa in 2008 after a Hindu priest, long opposed by fanatic missionaries, was murdered; a brief incident where miscreants attacked “prayer halls” built by the New Life Church — a revivalist Protestant group — that had distributed a pamphlet denigrating Hindu Gods and Goddesses and allegedly engaged in mass conversionsof Hindus.

These three episodes in a country of a billion condemn an entire nation?

Incredibly, the Commission’s India chapter paints a portrait of minority religions on the run in India, pursued by a rabid Hindu majority! This in a country whose last President was Muslim, whose leader of the largest political party is Christian and whose Prime Minister is Sikh. In contrast, behold the shrill outcry when our own President Obama was alleged to be Muslim!

A terrible riot that left hundreds of Muslims and Hindus dead and occurred closer to a decade ago mandates an entire section, but the ongoing attacks by jihadis in India’s Kashmir targeting Hindus; several recent bombings in Hindu temples carried out by Islamists, and Hindu temple desecrations in Christian Goa; and an analysis into the incendiary results of attempts to convert Hindus by coercivemeans fail any mention at all.

Indian Americans know the story of the subcontinent, and without an exploration of these original sins that sparked riots, is to tell half a story–a problem now wholly the Commission’s.

India’s history–beginning with the bloody partition of the country by religion into East Pakistan (1947)/Bangladesh (1971) and Pakistan in 1947 –created a tinderbox of tension. But a land that gave birth to Hinduism and Buddhism–a Mahatma Gandhi and a syncretic Muslim emperor like an Akbar centuries before were both defined by these traditions–offered a unique experiment that sought to replicate what our own Founding Fathers did here: create a secular, inclusive democracy.

That experiment is put to a singularly arduous trial by the machinations of Pakistan that sees its identity as an Islamic nation threatened by India’s pluralism — its adventures in Mumbai in 2008 and Kashmir massacres are examples. And a small minority of Indian Muslims choose the ideology of the Taliban rather than embrace that of the great Pashtun, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the patriot whose non-violent struggle against the concept of carving a piece of India into Pakistan is legendary–reactionary Hindu groups form and trouble brews. It is in this context that terrible riots too often validate devious provocateurs–and a point that sadly eludes the USCIRF.

Then there is the explosive issue of coerced conversions in India. Today, the largest aid donor to India is not the government of any country. Nearly half a billion dollars are sent to India under the auspices of Christian missionary organizations. Some of these groups are involved in truly uplifting work amongst the poorest, but the underlying subtext for some churches is a bargain: convert and we will help. The New York Times famously reported on evangelical tsunami aid organizations disproportionately lavishing help on those communities that agreed to convert. Legions of converts testify to the pressure they received in the form of a job, medical aid, education — if they just agreed to change their faith. Families are turned against families and communities — a potent brew that also raises tensions that can escalate. And when these evangelical groups proclaim their work and their scores of new converts couched in colorful videos at suburban megachurches, the dollars flow and enrich itinerant missionary mercenaries — a fact blithely ignored by the Commission.

Examine the makeup of the USCIRF: Six members are Christian, one is Jewish and one Muslim. Not a single non-Abrahamic faith is represented. The chair is Vice President of the far-right Federalist Society, and another commissioner is an executive at the evangelical Southern Baptist Convention, which publishes material which calls Hinduism grand festival of Diwali “devil worship.”

Finally, Hindu Americans are wondering today if there is quid pro quo at work. The USCIRF was denied a visa this month to travel to India for a “fact-finding” trip. But the Commission was clear that it would not visit Kashmir (because of threats by Muslim terrorists) nor the Northeast of India where militant Christian terrorists are displacing Hindus and fighting for separatism. It would not look into Hindu temple desecrations in Goa and other attacks. It only wanted to visit Gujarat and Orissa.The Government of India said, “thanks, but no thanks.” The USCIRF was outraged at the denial, and we can only ponder whether this was payback.

The tragic turn of events in Kandhamal in Orissa once again highlights the urgent need for church authorities to immediately halt the fraudulent conversions of India’s Tribal and Dalit populace, which are causing so much heart-burning and cultural anxiety.
[The Constitutional term for the latter group is Scheduled Caste, but missionaries have coined and propagated the term ‘Dalit’ – Editor]

As the menace of conversions is perpetuated with the receipt of foreign funds, the Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) has steadfastly demanded that the church utilize all foreign funds exclusively for the welfare and uplift of poor Christians who are suffering from terrible discrimination within the community. Indeed, this is the reason why PCLM has been petitioning the Government of India not to appoint Bishops, priests and nuns to official Commissions and Committees, and instead appoint ordinary Christians.

The church annually receives so much money that we want the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and the National Christian Council of India (NCCI) to set up a Rs. 1000 crore “Dalit Christian Development Fund” to ensure the integrated social and economic development of this huge populace that was lured to Christianity on the promise of a better life.

Considering the confusion created by propagation activities in remote areas, the PCLM demands that church authorities defer mass conversion programmes for at least a century. It is our view that evangelism cannot be a measurement of a society’s socio-economic development. Rather, the evangelism programme funds should be utilized for the welfare of Dalits and Tribals who have already been converted to Christianity, and whose lot has not been improved by the church.

There should be reservation of seats for Dalit and Tribal Christians, as well as other Dalits, in Church-run schools, colleges, technical institutions and other vocational organizations. As of now, the reality is that a handful of priests and bishops are monopolizing Church funds and property in the country. This has led to sharp deterioration of the conditions of neo-converted Christians who are living in a pitiable condition, deprived of basic necessities.

Instead of worrying about their living conditions, the church leadership is interested only in increasing the numbers of its flock. Even worse, a large chunk of foreign funds are being utilized for purchasing land and for the luxurious lifestyles of a few Christian leaders in India. Bishops are monopolizing the Church estates and treating it as their own property and are indulging in its sale-purchase without the consent of the community.

The children of poor Dalit and Tribal Christians do not even complete their primary education. None of the 40,000 educational institutions run by the church give admission to the children of Dalit Christians. This is the reason that in the last two decades many poor Christians have gone back to Hinduism due to maltreatment by the church.

For this reason, some of us feel that the Government of India and the Supreme Court should redefine minority educational institutions and de-classify those Christian minority institutions which do not admit Christian children. They should also be taxed as commercial ventures.

There is no case for caste-based reservations for the Christian community in India, as this would institutionalize the discrimination against the poor Christians and blight their future forever. The teachings of Jesus Christ do not permit discrimination amongst his followers. All Christians are born in the image of God. Hence, if the Church in India pursues reservation for Christians on the basis of caste, it must pay compensation to poor Christians converted to Christianity in the past, for discrimination and oppression and false promises.

The Government of India should also introduce special laws to protect Church property and land that is currently being misused and sold by vested interests.

We also feel that the Vatican must stop appointing bishops and must follow the system in China. The Dalit and Tribal Christians must be appointed to important positions in the institutions of the Catholic Church. As the Church is the largest employer after the Government of India, poor Christians should be given 50% job reservations in Christian educational and medical institutions.

Above all, the church should not criticize other religions, as this creates unnecessary ill-will. The time has come when pluralistic societies must be accepted. Hence the focus on fraudulent conversion and increasing the number of “rice Christians” does not serve the faith. The Church should instead promote multi-culturalism and inter-faith dialogue.

Now the government is planning to repeal the Anti conversion laws that exist in the few states of India to facilitate ‘harvesting of souls’ and to de-Hinduise and Christianise India.

It is significant that after crushing the Church backed LTTE secessionist movement, while the small neighbouring country of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist religious leadership has risen to redeem the Indic tradition by repudiating inter-faith dialogue and demanding national legislation against conversions, the UPA government blatantly promotes the gangrenous spread of Christian proselytization.

The majority of the 800 million Hindus of Bharat are either oblivious or dispassionate about their religion and civilization being gradually eroded, ignorantly playing into the hands of the forces that plans to disintegrate the nation. They easily succumb to the propaganda machinery of the pseudosecular media and politicians and fail to see the the colonial design of Christian missionaries who use unlimited foreign funds and medical, educational and employment opportunities to lure impoverished indigenous populations for conversion to Christianity

Those who belive in the claim that “there are no forcible conversion” should read this recent news item of Conversion at Gunpoint.

Finally, there might be some good news for Christians in states where anti-conversion laws are in force. The newly elected government has agreed to repeal bills that have restricted the freedom of religion in India.

According to sources, Home Minister P Chidambaram will be reviewing and making recommendations on the controversial anti-conversion bill also known as “Freedom of Religion Acts”.

Presently, anti-conversion laws are in force in five states – Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. In two other states – Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, the laws have been passed but its implementation is awaited.

However, it is unlikely that Rajasthan will enact the bill after Congress wrested power from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Centre is set to invalidate the bill after the immediate consent of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

In Madhya Pradesh, where the ruling BJP had proposed amendments to make the existing law stricter, the Centre has decided to withhold assent.

Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior politician of the Congress, Digvijay Singh, strongly opposed the bill and echoed with the Centre that the bill subjugates religious freedom enshrined in the constitution.

He also pointed that when he was CM for 10 years “there was no case of forcible conversion.”

Recently, there was speculation over BJP-led Karnataka government adopting a similar law aimed to restrict conversions.

Minister of State for Law, Suresh Kumar, said there was a strong demand to introduce the anti-conversion law in Karnataka.

This, he said, would be introduced by examining the Tamil Nadu State where the law was introduced but withdrawn shortly.

In Himachal Pradesh, the stringent anti-conversion bill declares that anyone found guilty of forcing an individual to change religion can be punished with a two-year jail term, a fine of up to 25,000 rupees (US$560) or both.

The law also states that a person intending to change her or his religion should inform the government 30 days in advance. Failure to do so is also punishable. The same restrictions are mentioned in the Gujarat bill as well.

Christians argue that such a bill violates the fundamental right of freedom of conscience and freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion under the Article 25 of the constitution.

SILCHAR, June 22 – Bhuvan Pahar, one of the most holy places in south Assam, particularly in Barak Valley, 38 km from Silchar town, has come under the threat of miscreants. Gun-totting members of a newly formed militant group, named Manmasi National Christian Army, comprising 15 rebels, has been forcing the residents of Bhuban Pahar under the threat of gun to convert to Christianity.

This information was forwarded to SonaiPolice which along with the 5th Assam Rifles conducted a search operation which led to the arrest of 13 miscreants, including their commander-in-chief. Two SBBLguns and a country-made pistol along with sufficient quantity of ammunition were seized from their possession. All the miscreants were handed over to Sonai Police for further investigation.

This group of miscreants, dressed in black witha red cross on their back, along with arms, enter from Tipaimukh through Barak river by boat and mount Bhuvan Pahar. They threatened and asked the Hindu people of Tezpur village, including the priest of this famous Hindu temple, to convert into Christianity.

The problem there began when some Hmar miscreants stated themselves to be members of Manmasi National Christian Armyand had started putting pressure on the Hindu residents of Bhuvan Pahar to become Christians. The local residents also said that Manmasi National Christian Army cadres had painted cross symbol on the walls of the temples with their blood.

Sources said, the pressure from the Hmar militants began at least two months back when the Congress, led by Lalthanhwala, acquired power in the neighboring State of Mizoram.

At least seven to eight Hmar youths were frequently visiting Bhuvan Pahar, which had nearly 700 Hindu people as well as eight Hindu temples. These Hmaryouths approached with gun in one hand and the Bible in the other.

Sources said that the Hmaryouths had a meeting with the villagers in Tezpur village on the Bhuvan Pahar and distributed Bible among the villagers. They had even built up a church in Tezpur village.

Meanwhile, Rajkumar, priest of Naga mandir on Bhuvan Pahar, told VHP members that he was forced by the Hmars to show them the tracks on the Pahar at gunpoint. Further,the Hmars posted a flag, a tabloid and a Holy Cross on the wall of one of the temples bearing date May 29, 2009.

VHP leaders were shown the video footage containing the Hindu temples which had blood-stained Holy Cross symbol. A local resident of the area said that pilgrims from various parts of the country had been visiting Bhuvan Pahar since 1816, but now Christians were forcing the Hindus to convert. These Hmar youths come from Mizoram and they have powerful patrons behind them. The VHP had asked the administration to arrange for security of the Hindu temples, priests as well as the Hindu residents there.